FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 7, 2014
Contacts:
Kris Sherman, 253-404-3800; 253-226-6718 or [email protected]
Whitney DalBalcon, 253-404-3637 or [email protected]
A SEPTEMBER TO REMEMBER: PLAN ON TONS OF FUN AT THE ZOO THIS MONTH
WITH AN ELEPHANT-SIZED BIRTHDAY PARTY AND A SPECIAL DAY FOR SEA OTTERS TO PLAY
TACOMA, Wash. – There’s back-to-back, non-stop fun planned at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium this
month with an elephant-sized 50th birthday party for Suki on Sept. 20 and a celebration of sensational
otters the very next weekend, on Sept. 28.
The zoo has two half-centuryold Asian elephants. Suki turns
50 this year; Hanako is 51. And
since their combined weight is
roughly 20,000 pounds, it’s
safe to say there will be about
10 tons of fun during Suki’s
birthday party.
It’s scheduled from 10 a.m. to
4 p.m. Sept. 20.
Visitors have been all
(elephant) ears for the details.
So here they are.
The festivities include:
 Special birthday cakes
for Suki and Hanako.
 Cupcakes for visitors
as long as supplies last.
 Behind-the-scenes
tours of the Elephant
Barn.
 Elephant-themed crafts.
Zoo visitors also will have a chance to ask keepers all about Suki and Hanako and learn more about
pachyderms in general. And there will be information about the 96 Elephants campaign to support bans
on the sale and trade of ivory.
Ninety-six elephants are killed each day in Africa by poachers who want the animals’ tusks. Point
Defiance Zoo & Aquarium has joined other zoos across the nation in this global effort to teach people
about this practice and advocate for stronger laws aimed at helping protect wild elephants.
The echoes of “Happy
Birthday” to Suki and Hanako
will barely fade away when
it’s time to head on down to
the zoo’s Rocky Shores area
for a day dedicated to the
zoo’s four Sensational Sea
Otters.
Festivities on Sept. 28
include special treats for the
otters at 10:30 a.m., 1 p.m.
and 4 p.m.; tours of the
Marine Mammal food
preparation area from 1 p.m.
to 3 p.m.; and hands-on sea
otter-themed activities and crafts from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Marine Discovery Center.
Sea otters play a pivotal role in marine ecosystems, so it’s important to set aside time each year to learn
more about them. And besides that, they’re just plain fun to watch.
All Elephant Birthday Party and Sensational Sea Otters activities are free with admission or membership
to the zoo.
Hours through Sept. 28 are 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
For more information, go to www.pdza.org.
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Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, the Northwest’s only combined zoo and aquarium, promotes responsible
stewardship of the world’s resources through education, conservation, research and recreational
opportunities. The zoo, a division of Metro Parks Tacoma, is accredited by the Association of Zoos &
Aquariums (AZA) and the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums (AMMPA).